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Offshore Oil and Gas

The Gulf of Mexico and the communities that live here are on the frontlines of the impacts from the oil and gas industry.

Every year, thousands of oil, gas and chemical spills are reported in the Gulf, but the damages reach far beyond polluting our water. Offshore oil and gas development and production requires pipelines, shipping canals and refineries onshore. This infrastructure has an enormous influence on our coast, as well as the health and safety of nearby communities. For example, the oil and gas industry and its associated infrastructure has contributed to between 36-89% of Louisiana’s historical wetlands loss – that has caused whole communities to wash away and leaving cities like New Orleans more vulnerable to future hurricanes.

The more oil and gas we extract and burn, the more vulnerable our communities will be to climate change impacts like rising seas and stronger, more frequent storms.

Gulf coast residents are standing up and demanding that we move away from our reliance on the oil and gas industry and start the transition to a more just, sustainable and equitable economy. Our leaders must improve safety and oversight of the offshore oil and gas industry, hold companies accountable when there are spills and accidents, and end all new offshore oil and gas leasing.

Despite growing opposition from Gulf residents, the Trump administration and its allies in Congress are looking to rollback many of the protections put in place after the BP disaster, and open up new areas to drilling like Florida’s Gulf coast.

The GRN is working to resist the rollback of critical regulations needed to increase safety and environmental protection. We are also working with our partners to break end our dependence on the oil and gas industry by supporting an end new offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and the transition to more sustainable energy sources that support a more equitable and stable economy for our region.